Unlikely couple on the big screen
Om Puri, while filming an item song with Mallika Sherawat in Bin Bulaye Baraat, had said, "Contrary to her image, she is so decent that she should be called Mallika Sharaafat." The actor had also expressed his wish to work with the actress 'at length'.
And now, his prayers have been answered. Apparently, Mallika has been cast opposite Om Puri in KC Bokadia's 'Dirty Politics', a film based on the alleged murder of Bhanwari Devi by a politician from Rajasthan.
While Om plays the politician, Mallika is cast as the temptress who seduces the politician and then gets sucked into a murky political game culminating in her murder. Whether this jodi is a hit, though, remains to be seen.
The science of the matter
The makers of the movie 'Joker' are leaving no stone unturned in terms of promotion, as they plan to screen it for wing commander (retired) Rakesh Sharma, India's only cosmonaut who flew on board a Soviet Soyuz T-11 as part of a joint Indo-Soviet space programme in 1984.
"The film is a science fiction family entertainer, that we feel will be loved by kids. There are aliens from outer space. Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to travel in outer space and it makes complete sense to try and contact him. We are in process of doing that," the movie's director, Shirish Kunder, points out.
The movie's plot revolves around a village called Paglapur which lacks basic facilities like water and electricity. When nobody is ready to solve the problem, Akshay Kumar creates a hoax involving aliens from outer space in order to attract attention to the village's problems.
"Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma made Indians dream about space and from then, we have tried to explore more about life outside earth. He is a legend. It would be great if we could show the film to him and if that's not possible, then we could send him a copy of the film," adds Shirish.
Connected with the viewers
The much talked about Himmatwala remake, which is slated to release on March 29 next year, is already grabbing eyeballs thanks to its colourful posters and innovative dhamaaka first look, which portrays a flashback to the 80's era with a live orchestra.
Continuing this trend, the makers decided to create a record by streaming the movie's muhurat live on YouTube.
Ajay Devgan and director Sajid Khan are geared up to start the shooting of their much-awaited remake of the 70's Himmatwala, which is produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani. The muhurat of this magnum opus will be shown live online, a first for any film in the history of Indian cinema.
"I want to reach out to as many people as possible and want to involve them from the very first scene. This is the reason behind the team's decision to stream the muhurat live on YouTube. This is the first time that this digital platform is being used by anyone in India for such an event. We are all very excited with the muhurat and can't wait to kick-start this film," says Sajid.
Along with Ajay Devgan, the film stars Tamannah, Paresh Rawal, Mahesh Manjrekar, Zareena Wahab, Adhyayan Suman and Leena Jumani with music by Sajid-Wajid and screenplay by Sajid Khan and Farhad Sajid.
'I can see Big B and Johnny Depp together'
Mira Nair is all set to revive Shantaram. With Amitabh Bachchan also showing renewed interest, the film-maker may start shooting Gregory David Roberts' bestseller soon.
If all goes well, the film-maker will plunge into the project next year after the release of her film, 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'. Nair did not rule out the possibility of Shantaram being revived but refused to divulge any details.
About working with Big B, she says, "By sheer chance, he was there for the first screening of 'Namesake' in Mumbai. He was overwhelming in 'Black' and Sarkar. The best part is he loves to act. He still enjoys the process. I can still close my eyes and see Bachchan and Johnny Depp together."
Is it time to end the fight?
Shah Rukh and Salman Khan have been at war for a while now, and everyone knows of one of the very public episodes that occurred at Katrina's birthday party a few years ago. While SRK always maintains a dignified silence, Salman wears his heart on his sleeve.
This time, Salman tried to bury the hatchet by insisting that there is no enmity anymore and that people are stuck in the past. What is interesting to note is that Salman's attempt to clear the air was done in the presence of Katrina.
Have things come full circle for the Khans? Or is the timing of Salman's statement suspect, given that Kat is working with SRK in a new movie?